Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia Therapy in Newport Beach, CA
Elevators, MRIs, tunnels and enclosed spaces · EMDR • Clinical Hypnotherapy • CBT • Somatic Approaches
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC, CHT is a Newport Beach psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, phobias and trauma, including claustrophobia and fear of enclosed spaces. Practicing since 1997, she is a Certified EMDR Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist serving Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and surrounding Orange County communities.
Written and clinically reviewed by Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC
Psychotherapist · EMDR Certified · Certified Hypnotherapist · Author of Anxiety Annihilated · Practicing since 1997
The fear of not being able to get out
Claustrophobia is often described less as a fear of small spaces and more as a fear of being unable to leave — of not having an exit, enough air, or enough control.
That's why the trigger can be so varied: an elevator, a middle seat, an MRI scanner, a crowded room, a tunnel, a dental chair, a windowless office.
The anticipation frequently begins long before the situation itself, which is one reason avoidance builds so quickly.
Situations that commonly trigger claustrophobia
Enclosed-space fear can center on any of the following:
- Elevators
- MRI, CT and other imaging equipment
- Airplanes and window or middle seats
- Tunnels, underpasses and parking structures
- Crowded rooms, concerts or public transit
- Small rooms without windows or with closed doors
- The dental chair
- Locked or automatically closing doors
- Clothing, masks or equipment that feels restrictive
Claustrophobia and panic
For many people, the feared event is the panic response itself: racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, the urgent sense that you must get out immediately.
Once panic has occurred in an enclosed space, the fear can shift from the space to the anxiety — and both need to be addressed in treatment.
When claustrophobia is connected to a past experience
Sometimes the fear traces back to a specific event: being stuck in an elevator, trapped or confined as a child, held down during a procedure, or an experience of not being able to breathe.
When the fear is associated with a distressing memory, EMDR may be clinically appropriate. Arolyn has been EMDR certified since 2001 and evaluates each client individually.
A focused approach to claustrophobia
Arolyn has developed a structured five-session phobia protocol based on her clinical experience treating fears and phobias. Treatment is individualized and may incorporate EMDR when enclosed-space fear is associated with a distressing experience; clinical hypnotherapy, used to help clients practice focused attention, relaxation and therapeutic responses to confinement-related triggers; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to address catastrophic predictions such as running out of air or losing control; somatic techniques, to work with breathing and the body's alarm response; solution-focused therapy, organized around the practical goal — completing the scan, taking the elevator, making the flight; and The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™, Arolyn's framework for addressing anxiety, phobias and trauma.
Five sessions describe the structure of Arolyn's focused protocol and do not guarantee that every client's claustrophobia will resolve in five sessions. Treatment length and outcomes vary.
The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™ for claustrophobia
- A — Assess: identify which enclosed situations trigger fear and what you predict will happen.
- R — Reframe: examine the thoughts and interpretations that reinforce the fear.
- O — Observe: build awareness of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and escape behaviors.
- L — Learn: develop therapeutic strategies for responding differently in confined settings.
- Y — Yield: allow a new response instead of following the established fear pattern.
- N — Normalize: practice and integrate healthier responses so enclosed spaces become manageable.
About Arolyn Burns
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC, CHT is a California licensed psychotherapist who has practiced since 1997, specializing in anxiety, phobias, trauma and chronic pain.
She is a Certified EMDR Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist, the author of Anxiety Annihilated and creator of The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™. Her private practice serves clients in Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and surrounding Orange County communities.
You can stop planning your life around exits
If a scan is scheduled, a flight is booked, or you're simply tired of taking the stairs, focused treatment can begin now.
Schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation with Arolyn Burns.
Who you would be working with
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC is a Newport Beach psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, phobias, trauma and chronic pain. She provides EMDR therapy and clinical hypnotherapy and has been practicing since 1997.
- CA LMFT #MFC40173, LPCC #LPC54
- M.A. Clinical Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
- 10× Best Newport Beach Therapist
- 2333 E Coast Highway, Suite C, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
Creator of The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™, the framework behind this work.
Frequently asked questions
Related pages
Ready to take the first step?
In-person appointments at 2333 E Coast Highway, Suite C, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625, and secure video sessions anywhere in California. Mon–Wed 11am–8pm, Thu 11am–2pm (by appointment only).